Mushroom Traybake Ragù — Dehydrated Backpacking Meal

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This vegan adaptation of ragu is full of umami-rich ingredients that make it so awesomely satisfying, especially at the end of an active day. Everything gets baked in the oven, making this super easy to prep with little clean-up. It’s also a perfect contendor for a dehydrated backpacking meal, being not just full of flavour but also super nutritious and naturally involves dehydrator-friendly ingredients – lentils, grains, finely chopped veg, mushrooms, all in a seriously flavourful sauce.

This mushroom traybake ragu is inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s Ultimate Traybake Ragù from his book Flavour (a collab with Ixta Belfrage, highly recommended). If you know Ottolenghi, you know his recipes are notoriously lavish with olive oil — and this one is no exception, calling for 120ml. That’s not a problem at the dinner table, but when you’re dehydrating for the trail, fat is the enemy of shelf life (and of clean, dry results from your dehydrator). I’ve pulled the oil back to 45ml, which is still plenty to roast the vegetables. I did the same thing when I adapted his dehydrated paella — it works a treat.

The result is a deeply flavourful, protein-rich ragù with layers of savoury depth from mushrooms, lentils, miso, soy, and harissa.

Top tip: For more ideas and tips, check out my no-nonsense guide to making homemade dehydrated backpacking meals or better still, grab my free e-book:

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All The Umami

The genius of this recipe is that almost every single ingredient is an umami bomb. Let’s count them:

• Dried porcini — deep, earthy, forest-floor intensity. I use dried porcini blitzed to a rough powder so they disappear into the sauce and contribute flavour without any chewy chunks.
• White miso paste — sweet, rounded, fermented savouriness that ties the whole dish together.
• Soy sauce — salt with complexity. Don’t skip it.
• Tomato paste — concentrated, sweet-acid depth.
• Harissa — heat and smokiness. The original uses rose harissa; for the dehydrated version I’ve switched to regular harissa, which is a little more assertive and more widely available. Use whatever brand you love and adjust the quantity to your heat preference.
• Plum tomatoes — fresh sweetness and acidity to balance all that savoury weight.
• Oyster mushrooms — meaty texture, more umami. Are you seeing a pattern?

Stack all of this together and roast it in a tray, and you get something that genuinely tastes like it’s been cooking all day. It hasn’t. The oven has been doing that. You’ve been doing something more fun.

The Traybake Method: So simple!

There is essentially no technique here. If you have a food processor, the prep takes about five minutes — blitz the carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic, and tomatoes until finely chopped, tip the lot into a big roasting tray with all the sauces and seasonings, and roast at 190°C for 40 minutes. Then add the lentils, grain, and stock, cover with foil, and roast for another 40 minutes. Then uncover for five minutes. Rest. Done.

Grain Options: Pearl Barley, Buckwheat, and Beyond

The original recipe uses pearl barley, which I love — it soaks up the sauce and has a delicious, satisfying chew. But buckwheat is an excellent alternative and my first choice for the dehydrated version: it’s naturally gluten-free, slightly nuttier in flavour, and rehydrates well at camp.

Here are your options:

• Pearl barley — classic, chewy, slightly nutty. Good for dehydrating.
• Buckwheat groats — gluten-free, fast-rehydrating, earthy flavour that suits this ragù very well. Use raw (unroasted) groats for the mildest flavour, or kasha (roasted) for something more robust.
• Green or brown lentils — already in the recipe, but you could increase these and skip the separate grain entirely for an even higher-protein, fully gluten-free version.
• Freekeh — smoky, nutty, dehydrates well.
• Quinoa — quick-cooking, high protein, rehydrates fast. Use slightly less stock as it absorbs a lot.

Whatever grain you choose, add it to the tray for the second stage of roasting along with the lentils and stock.

Coconut Milk: The Powdered Trick

The original recipe uses 160g coconut cream, which adds a lush richness to the finished ragù. Coconut fat doesn’t play well with the dehydrator — it stays oily, goes rancid faster, and makes for a greasier dry product. So I’ve omitted it from the cooking entirely and instead recommend adding coconut milk powder directly to your portion bag at home.

Add 2 tablespoons (about 15g) of coconut milk powder per serving. When you rehydrate at camp, it dissolves straight into the hot ragù and gives you that creamy richness with zero effort. This is a great general trick for any dehydrated recipe that calls for coconut milk or cream — the powdered version is shelf-stable, lightweight, and works perfectly.

Nutritional Info & Pack Weight

Serves 8

Per serving (ragù only, before coconut milk powder or carbs):

Dehydrated pack weight: approximately 90–100g per serving (ragù only)

Adding 15g coconut milk powder per serving: +80 kcal, +5g pack weight.

Add a 50g serving of Idahoan instant mash and you’re looking at a 600+ calorie dinner that weighs under 175g total. Not bad.

What to Eat It With

Instant Mash — The Guilty Pleasure

I’ll be honest: my preferred way to eat this ragù at camp is poured over a bowl of Idahoan instant mash. Yes, it’s processed. Yes, it’s from a packet. Yes, it is absolutely delicious — especially after a long day with heavy legs and a big appetite. The creamy, fluffy potato is the perfect vehicle for this rich, saucy ragù, and it’s ready in about two minutes. Zero shame.

Pasta — With a Quick Dehydrating Primer

This ragù is a natural match for pasta. And if you want to go that route on the trail, I recommend dehydrating your own pasta at home for dramatically faster rehydration times at camp.

Wait — why dehydrate something that’s already dried? Great question. Dried pasta from a packet takes 8–12+ minutes to cook through, which burns fuel and patience in equal measure. But if you cook the pasta first and then dehydrate it, it rehydrates in just 5–7 minutes with boiling water. The starch structure has already been hydrated and cooked, so it just needs to reabsorb water rather than cook through from scratch. It’s a super hack.

How to dehydrate pasta:

1. Cook your pasta until just al dente (a little underdone is fine — it finishes during rehydration).
2. Drain, toss with the tiniest drizzle of oil to prevent sticking, and spread in a single layer on dehydrator trays.
3. Dehydrate at 63°C / 145°F for 2–3 hours, until completely dry and brittle.
4. Cool fully, then bag and store.

Shape matters. Go for something small that packs efficiently and holds sauce well. Orecchiette is my top pick — it has enough substance to satisfy, packs small and light, and that little cup shape is basically purpose-built for catching thick, hearty ragù. Avoid long pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine — they’re a nightmare to dehydrate evenly and a nightmare to eat out of a camp bowl.

Green Vegetables

I like to add some broccoli or kale to this for extra greens. Just add it to the pot along with the dehydrated rags and it will cook at the same time you’re food is rehydrating.

Optional Garnishes

Parmesan — the classic. A small lump of properly aged parmesan keeps well for a few days in cool weather and is undoubtedly delicious.

Avocado — a half avocado sliced over the top adds richness and freshness that works surprisingly brilliantly with the spiced, earthy ragù. A firm, slightly under-ripe one will survive 1–2 days in your pack (I pack mine in a mug).

Giardiniera — my wild card recommendation and honestly a game-changer. A small jar of this crunchy pickled vegetable condiment alongside this ragù is something special: the bright acidity and crunch cuts straight through all that richness. I’ve been known to carry a little jar specifically for moments like this.

Shelf Life and Storage

Fully dehydrated and stored in a zip-lock freezer bag: 2–4 weeks at room temperature, or up to a year vacuum-sealed in a cool, dark place.

Because I’ve significantly reduced the oil from the original recipe, this dries cleaner and stores better than a higher-fat version would. Make sure everything is completely brittle and dry before bagging — lentils should snap, not bend.

Mushroom Trayback Ragu – Dehydrated Backpacking Meal

Serves 8

Dehydrated weight: ~90–100g per serving (ragù only)

Rehydration time: ~10 minutes with boiling water

Nutrition per serving: ~380 kcal | 16g protein | 39g carbs | 12g fat

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 380

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the ragù:

• 3 carrots 250g, peeled
• 2 onions 300g, peeled
• 300 g mushrooms (chestnut, oyster, or whatever you can get) roughly chopped
• 10 g dried porcini roughly blitzed or finely crumbled
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 3 –4 plum tomatoes 350g, roughly chopped (or use a tin of good quality chopped tomatoes – I like Mutti Polpa)
• 45 ml 3 tbsp olive oil (reduced from the original 120ml)
• 70 g white miso paste
• 40 g harissa store-bought or home-made
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 90 ml soy sauce
• 2 tsp cumin seeds crushed
• 180 g dried green or brown lentils
• 100 g pearl barley (or buckwheat, bulgar, quinoa or other grain of your choice)
• 750 ml vegetable stock
• 100 ml red wine or extra stock
• 150 ml water
• Salt and black pepper

To pack separately on the trail — per serving:

• 2 tbsp 15g coconut milk powder optional but makes a richer sauce
• greens like broccoli or kale not always practical to carry but fresh veg always adds something to dishes like this
• parmesan cheese a worthwhile extra luxury if you can spare the weight

Method

 

At Home

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F.
2. Working in batches, put the carrots, onions, oyster mushrooms, porcini, garlic, and tomatoes into a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. (No food processor? Finely chop everything by hand.)
3. Tip the chopped vegetables into a large, 36cm x 28cm non-stick high-sided baking tray. Add the olive oil, miso, harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce, and cumin seeds and mix very well. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until browned at the edges and bubbling.
4. Reduce the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
5. Add the lentils, grain, stock, red wine, 150ml water, ⅓ tsp salt, and a very generous grind of black pepper to the tray. Stir well, scraping up any crispy bits from the sides and bottom. Cover tightly with foil and bake for another 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a final 5 minutes. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning. The ragù should be rich, deeply savoury, with a good kick from the harissa (for even more kick, add more harissa or chilli flakes). Leave to cool completely before dehydrating.

Dehydrating

1. Spread the cooled ragù in thin, even layers across dehydrator trays lined with non-stick sheets or baking paper. Thinner layers dry faster and more evenly.
2. Dehydrate at 63°C / 145°F for 8–12 hours, stirring or turning halfway through.
3. The ragù is ready when completely dry and brittle — lentils should snap, the mixture should crumble freely. No soft or sticky patches.
4. Cool fully before portioning.
5. Divide into 8 portions (approximately 90–100g each) and seal in zip-top freezer bags or vacuum seal for longer storage. Add 2 tbsp coconut milk powder to each bag.

On the Trail

1. Decant your dehydrated ragu into a stove-safe pot with a lid. If you're adding any fresh greens here, do this now.
2. Add just enough water to cover (about 200-250ml) and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and wait 10 minutes. (Alternatively simmer on a low heat for about 5 minutes.)
3. Check the consistency and adjust with a little extra water if needed.
4. Serve over instant mash, pre-dehydrated orecchiette, or straight from the bowl with your favourite garnishes.

If you make this, I’d love to hear how it goes — drop a comment below or tag me on Instagram. And if you’re looking for more dehydrated meal ideas, check out the full recipe archive.